1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to reducing the amount of data used to represent information. More specifically the present invention relates to systems and methods for converting original images such as photographic pictures into various other formats such as drawings by reducing the amount of data contained in the original images. Even more specifically, the present invention teaches the conversion of photographic pictures into representations thereof to enable a person to paint a likeness of the photographic picture.
2. The Relevant Technology
It is becoming increasingly more important to be able to accurately represent information with smaller representations. For example, when transmitting data via a modem across a communications network, gains in bandwidth and speed up to 400 percent can be realized by compressing the data before transmission. Yet, with data compression it is imperative that upon receipt of the data, at the reception end of the network, that the data be accurately recovered by decompression.
However, one problem is that not all smaller representations of information require such accuracy. Hence, lossy compression schemes have been developed to transmit video and pictures across communication networks. But lossy compression still requires a corresponding decompression vehicle to obtain the limited representation of the original. This increases complexity.
Another problem is that not every smaller representation of information is required to be transmitted over a communication network. As such, compression/decompression techniques are inadequate for providing reduced representations of information when information is not transmitted nor when accuracy is not critical. Also, compression and decompression schemes usually involve relatively expensive and complex hardware and/or software components.
Alternatively, since (de)compression exploits redundancies in data to achieve gains, another problem exists because not all representations of information are readily given to exploiting redundant information. For example, sometimes with photos, colors range so widely that actual redundancy is rare. Accordingly, it would be an advance to be able to create reduced representations of information in a manner independent of data redundancies and (de)compression schemes.
Reduced representations of information are useful in many facets of life. For example, for reducing the size of information when communicating over a network as previously indicated. Reduced representations of information are also desirous when storing information because less storage space often translates into increased savings in computing storage medium, shortened time of retrieval from storage and others.
Image conversion is also closely related to reduced representations of information because the original information that is reduced is typically converted into another format during intermediacy or as a final format. As an example, the famous painting of the Mona Lisa is often used in advertising literature as a picture in magazines. Thus, a painting is converted into a picture. The picture, however, is less descriptive in detail than the original painting in that it lacks brush stokes, detail, etc. Consequently, motivation exists to combine image conversion with reduced representations of information.
Similarly, a market need presently exists for converting images such as photographic pictures into drawings. The drawings, useful as templates, then enable people to recreate a likeness of the photo by painting the drawings into a version of their favorite picture. Some drawing templates are even formatted in a "paint-by-number" format. Drawings as painting templates, however, inherently cannot contain as much detail as the original photo because if boundary lines existed in the drawings in correspondence to every minute detail in a photograph, extreme clutter in the painting would result and the likeness trying to be recreated by "painting the photo" would be severely distorted.
As such, it is desirous to convert original images into other formats while providing for reductions in the representation of information contained in the original images in a manner that is independent of data redundancies and (de)compression schemes.